Focus not on letting go of things – focus on taking hold of your thoughts
In spiritual life, we are often exhorted to let go of things. However, we viscerally resist because we feel as if we are losing the [...]
When we distribute what we have, we appreciate what we have
Suppose someone works with medicines day in and day out. Medicines lie all around them. Because of the prolonged familiarity and abundant availability vis-à-vis medicines, [...]
Life is too precious to be wasted in doing perpetual post-mortem operations
When someone dies because of unknown causes, legal authorities often do a post-mortem operation to determine the cause. Similarly, in our life, when things go [...]
Determination means to decouple emotion from action
Some of us may feel, “I don’t have determination – I just can’t stick to my resolutions.” We almost treat determination like a mystical gift, [...]
When we get out of ourselves, we find ourselves
Many people are eager to be themselves, to find and express their authentic self. This search for authenticity is good. But if not channelled properly, [...]
Purity is not just a function of intention – it is also a fruit of devotion
Bhakti-yoga seekers are often encouraged to strive for purity, to connect with Krishna simply for loving him, not for getting some material things from him. [...]
Outreach is not just about expression of the truth, but also about impression with the truth
The Bhagavad-gita features Krishna, the Absolute Truth, speaking the Absolute Truth. Krishna’s speaking the Gita could be said to be the paradigmatic outreach initiative. It [...]
Sense control will make us not deprived, but relieved
Consider an alcoholic who has understood the gravity of their addiction and is struggling to break free from it. For such a recovering alcoholic, the [...]
We are always directed, but we can choose our director
We often feel that we are free to act in whichever way we choose. Yet all of us are impelled by forces beyond our own [...]
Compare yourself only with the person you were yesterday
A common human pastime is comparison: “My car is better than theirs; their house is better than mine; my phone is smarter than theirs.” Through [...]
Restraint and renunciation are routes to detachment – bhakti is the fuel
While traveling, we need to know the routes to travel by as well as the fuel to travel with. If we know just the route [...]
We can’t choose our past, but we can choose our memories
When we meet someone who has an ugly scar, that sight may jar us. But once we get to know them and see their good [...]
Don’t let hindsight hinder foresight
Hindsight refers to the lessons we learn from life; it emerges from our reflectiveness to evaluate what we did and what we could have done [...]
Don’t discriminate against discrimination
The word “discrimination” has nowadays acquired a strong negative connotation, as in caste discrimination or racial discrimination. While such discrimination is distasteful, it needn’t make [...]
The power to compel is not the power to convince
Sometimes, people in positions of authority can command and compel their subordinates to do their bidding. “My way or the highway” is a popular way [...]
Fixing a leaking tank is more important than filling the tank
Suppose we had a leaking tank that we want to keep filled with water. If we keep filling it without fixing the leak, our effort [...]
Guard against the impulse of the senses with the vigilance of the intelligence
Why do we sometimes do things that we didn’t intend to do, things that we in fact had resolved not to do? For explaining the [...]
Our vision is functional and valuable, but not necessarily factual
People often ask, “If the soul and God are real, why can’t we see them?” But the question begs itself: Do we really see things [...]
Those who stay upset about what they don’t have waste what they do have
Suppose a person with artistic talent craves and slaves to become an engineer. But if they just don’t get mathematics or physics and somehow struggle [...]
Transformational teaching conveys not just intellectual meaning but also emotional meaning
The most effective teaching methods touch not just the head but also the heart. When a message is meaningful not just intellectually but also emotionally, [...]
The material and the spiritual can be competitive, but they can also be cumulative
When we start practicing spiritual life, our material and spiritual sides can seem to be competitive. Both require our time and energy. As these are [...]